


The Flame in My Blood

by DreadNaught13



Series: The Stars in Our Faults [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Magic, Memory Loss, Rebellion, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 11:17:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12556240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreadNaught13/pseuds/DreadNaught13
Summary: Part II of The Stars in Our Faults. Continuation of Sheith Big Bang story.Previously:Takashi Shirogane was once the Black Paladin under King Alfor. Now he's the Champion, a prisoner of the Galra Imperium, forced to fight in their monstrous Arena. Until the day that he's sent across the desert in a slave caravan and is liberated by a group of rebels intent on stopping the spread of Zarkon's Imperium. Shiro is saved by a young man named Keith, a strangely familiar fighter who Shiro has no memory of ever meeting. Shiro joins Keith and the other rebels in their attempts to thwart the Imperium, all while trying to get to the bottom of his growing feelings for Keith.Now:Shiro, Keith, Lance, and Hunk are on the run from the Galra Imperium after a disastrous raid on rebel forces. Fleeing into the forest of the Olkari, Shiro remembers bits of his past after meeting Ulaz. He and Keith follow Ulaz to meet the Blade of Marmora and learn more about what the future holds for the both of them.





	The Flame in My Blood

**Author's Note:**

> I enjoyed the Sheith Big Bang that I thought to continue the story in this 'verse. Plus, I had about 10k already written (later chapters) when I ran out of time on the first story. So this is it. Here we go. Hope you enjoy.

Shiro glanced up from his study of Keith’s sleeping face at the delicate clearing of a throat. Allura stood quietly, pale brows furrowed in concern. The sun had risen, bathing the clearing in a warm orange glow.

Keith had fallen asleep only an hour or so ago, slumping against Shiro’s shoulder in exhaustion. Shiro had maneuvered the young man so his head was pillowed on Shiro’s thigh, his own back resting against the trunk of one of the Olkari’s massive trees. Shiro had stroked Keith’s hair once, softly humming the lullaby that Keith had liked from the cave. His hair was even softer than Shiro had suspected.

Shiro put his finger to his lips when he looked back towards Allura. He didn’t want to disturb Keith and his much needed rest.

“I thought it best if we kept the group small for this conversation,” Allura began in a whisper. “Ryner arranged for a private meeting room in the Grand Council’s tree. It would just be Ryner, myself, Ulaz and anyone you deem necessary.”

“Just me,” Shiro said softly, already shifting to grab a blanket to use as a pillow for Keith’s head.

“Are you certain?” Allura asked, tilting her head to indicate the sleeping young man. “You seem very . . . close.”

“He needs to rest. We haven’t had much downtime since Sendak and his Galra attacked the rebel camp.”

Allura looked pained, but said nothing, instead watching the two of them curiously. Shiro could feel her interest like sunlight on the back of his neck. Finally he could bear it no longer. Carefully, he slid his leg out from under Keith’s cheek, and asked, “What you said earlier. What did you mean about my quintessence?”

Glancing at his Galra arm, Allura sighed. “You know what quintessence is?”

Shiro paused. He had an idea, but it wasn’t like the druids ever explained anything they did to him or the principles behind it. “It’s energy, right?”

Her gaze locked with his and Shiro found himself powerless to look away. The golden flecks in Allura’s eyes seemed to glow like the heart of a sun, ready to warm him or burn his bones to ash and dust. “That’s an incredibly simplistic way of putting it,” she said, the corners of her mouth turning down in distaste. “Quintessence is the very essence of life itself. Everything contains it, just as everything is connected to it. The air, the water, the land, the people who inhabit—all of it is part of the very fabric of the world itself.”

Shiro held up his Galra hand. “And this?”

Allura stepped forward. “It is possible to manipulate quintessence. Altean druids and healers were masters at working with a being’s quintessence to accomplish miraculous things. There were those who could even heal the land.” She looked at his arm with loathing. “But quintessence can also be twisted and perverted, forced to run along unnatural channels. I don’t understand how Zarkon’s druids are doing this, but they’ve managed to turn quintessence to their own frightful ends, corrupting what should remain pure.”

Shiro looked down at his metal hand, the fingers curled into a tight fist. With a conscious effort, he relaxed them. “And mine?”

“Has been altered.” She gave him a long, meaningful look. “I cannot say in what ways without further study. But it is akin to listening to a song and having the singer hit the wrong note.”

Dread pooled in his guts but he asked the question anyway, despite not wanting to hear the answer. “Is there a way to fix it?” _To fix me_?

Allura blinked, surprised. “I—I don’t know,” she told him softly.

“Perfect.” Frustration flared inside of him like starburst.

“Shiro?” Keith blinked up at him sleepily, hair wild from sleep. He pushed himself up on one elbow, hazy purple gaze skipping from him to Allura. “What’s going on?” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand.

Shiro felt fondness fill him at the sight of sleep-rumpled Keith. As much as he might want the young man to join him, Shiro knew Keith needed to get some rest. “It’s nothing,” he told him gently, moving over to him so he could push him back down. “Go back to sleep.”

Keith glanced at Allura, determination sharpening his sleep-hazed eyes. “I’m coming with you,” he said, slipping out from beneath Shiro’s hand.

“Keith, you don’t need—”

The young man stood, brushing off his pants and running a hand through his black hair in a futile attempt to neaten it. Shiro hid his smirk in his shoulder at the sight of the black tufts that jutted out like wings from the dark mop of hair.

“I know I don’t _need_ to. I’m still coming with you.” He stalked over to Allura and folded his arms across his chest. Then he gave Shiro his best _I’m waiting_ look, complete with pursed lips and tapping fingers. Shiro gave up with a sigh and stood, joining the two of them at the door. He noticed a faint smile play on Allura’s lips before she turned to lead them to their meeting.

Shiro pulled Keith by the elbow, slowing his steps. “Are you ever going to listen to me?” he whispered.

“Not when you say stupid things, no,” Keith responded, one of his rare, true smiles, briefly interrupting his scowl.

Shiro couldn’t help but return the smile, helpless against the force of Keith’s personality. “And I’m being stupid?”

Keith stopped, angling his body so he faced Shiro, and turning the full force of his gaze on him. “You need someone to watch your back. I’m not letting you go in there without that.”

It felt like a hammer cracked into Shiro’s chest. Keith’s words slammed home to a hollow place inside of him that he hadn’t even realized needed filling. Warmth cascaded through him, like the waterfall pools they’d soaked in earlier, washing away the deep, abiding loneliness he’d lived with for over a year. “I…,” he began, unable to choke out the words beneath the glare of Keith’s fierce loyalty. “ _Thank_ you.”

Keith met his eyes, his own gaze unshakeable. He nodded once, and Shiro felt his strength shoring him up, like bedrock beneath his feet. The unasked for but always offered support was a lifeline Shiro didn't even know he'd needed. He only hoped he could return the favor one day.

"Let's go."

Coran, Ryner, and Ulaz were waiting for them when they arrived with Allura. Shiro took the seat offered, Keith at his right, and looked curiously at Ulaz. "I have questions."

"We all do," Allura said, glancing between him and Keith. "I think it best if we start with clearing the air. There is much to discuss."

Ulaz stood, his long, lanky body seeming to unfold to ever greater heights. Shiro knew he'd tower over him if they stood next to each other. Looking over at Keith for a moment, he saw the young men watching the Galra soldier warily, but unimpressed. Shiro turned his head to hide his grin.

"My apologies for startling you, Lord Shirogane—"

"Shiro is fine," he interrupted. Lord Shirogane was a dead man, and the name scraped raw along his nerves.

Ulaz paused, golden eyes narrowing. After a beat, he nodded slightly and continued. "Just Shiro, then." He breathed deeply, letting it out slowly. "As you have probably surmised I am not one of Zarkon's loyal soldiers."

"I got that, yes," Shiro said drily. He heard a half-muffled snort from Keith and bit back a smirk of his own. "So you're part of the resistance?"

Ulaz glanced at Keith briefly before returning his gaze to Shiro. "Not in the way you are thinking." He began to pace, long legs eating up the open space of the room quickly. "I am a member of the Blade of Marmora."

"The who?" Keith asked, leaning forward, curiosity glinting in his eyes.

"The Blade of Marmora—we are an ancient group that goes back to the beginning of the royal line of Gal. We were sworn protectors of the royal family before Zarkon's rise to power and we strive to always fight for safety of the Galra people."

"Bang up job you're doing there," Keith offered with a hint of heat in his voice. Shiro put a hand on his knee.

Ulaz lowered his head, shoulders slumping. "You are correct. Our numbers dwindle with each year—and there were few of us left to begin with. We cannot recruit as we once did. Young people from the finest families were offered to our service. But that was long ago, before Zarkon and his witch, Haggar, came to power. Now, we do what we can, but that is precious little."

"Why the interest in helping me?" Shiro asked. "I imagine organizing my escape put you in quite a bit of danger."

Nodding, Ulaz stopped his pacing to face Shiro directly. "Haggar had taken a particular interest in you, and that worried us. It had to do with more than the fact that you were the Black Paladin of Kerberos. I'm not the only Blade spy in Zarkon's ranks. We decided it best to get you out of there before she could continue her quintessence experiments on you."

"Unfortunately, Ulaz's help was discovered," Allura broke in. "He was nearly killed before he got here to warn us of what the Imperium is doing."

Shiro raised his eyebrows. "And what is the Imperium doing? Besides conquering every country within reach?"

Allura and Ulaz shared a worried glance. Shiro felt Keith grow tense beside him. "It's worse than that, isn't it?"

"Have you ever wondered why the Imperium sets out to conquer new lands?" Ryner asked, large eyes sparkling in the lantern-glow.

"Wealth?" Shiro offered.

"Power?" Keith said.

Allura shook her head. "Zarkon's Imperium has survived for decades, slowly growing like a cancer. But has anyone been in the heart of Gal recently?" At Shiro's confused look, she elaborated. "Power comes with a price. Zarkon and Haggar have found a way of draining the land's quintessence to power their armies with magical spells and extend their own lives. They have to conquer other lands to continue to harvest more quintessence."

"So this quint-whatever is part of the land?" Keith asked, brows furrowed.

"It is the energy that runs through it yes, present since the making of the world." Allura's kaleidoscope eyes settled on the young man and Shiro turned to look at him as she spoke. "Haggar has discovered a new way to harvest it and turn it to her own ends. But she has drained the quintessence of Gal dry. Famine and drought plague their homeland. The royal family were stewards of the land once. They understood the delicate balance between taking and giving back that would ensure the prosperity of their people. Zarkon overthrew the natural order when he staged his coup. All he cares about is power."

"So the rest of the world could eventually end up as lifeless as you say Gal is?" Keith asked, pale.

"Eventually," Ryner answered. "Which is why Zarkon must be stopped."

"There is a chance to restore Gal and return the quintessence to balance, but that is not the most pressing need. We must defeat Zarkon and Haggar before they drain the entire world."

"But Zarkon has to know he'll eventually be ruling over a dead world," Shiro said. "Or at least Haggar has to know."

"What does it matter so long as they survive?" Ulaz intoned. "And as I've said, Haggar is always searching, always experimenting. Who is to say she won't find a way around even this eventuality?"

Shiro shuddered at the idea of Haggar destroying the world. She wouldn’t stop until there was nothing left to corrupt, until all that she ruled over was a blackened, desiccated husk of nothingness. The witch's sharp features and glowing yellow eyes filled his vision. He remembered the black forks of her lightning as it seared along his skin, the smell of burning that filled his lungs…

A warm hand on his shoulder drew him out of that particular flashback. Keith's voice was low, a pleasant contrast to the chills spreading down Shiro's spine. "Do you need a break?"

Shiro shook his head, sucking in a deep breath. "No, but thanks. I can continue." He glanced up to see the others in the room watching him. "Sorry about that."

"There is no shame in it, Shiro," Ulaz said.

"What are we supposed to do?" Keith asked, peering up at Ulaz. "How are we supposed to stop them?"

Allura stood. "We're uniting the remaining free peoples into a coalition to fight Zarkon. With the help of the Blades, we're reaching out to those who still stand against the Imperium. But we are running out of time. If we don't move quickly, we may lose our only opportunity. Since the fall of Kerberos, we've been mobilizing our forces and we're almost in place."

"But?"

Ulaz stepped forward. "The Blades are still searching for the last scion of the royal family. If we defeat Zarkon and Haggar, there must be someone able to step into the power vacuum they will leave behind. There is rumor of a son of Zarkon's, but we have been unable to find him. For now, we search for anyone with a tie to the previous royal family in the hopes we can reestablish the lineage and heal the land."

"I don't envy the person who gets that job," Keith muttered.

"Shiro, I think it is important that you come with me when I leave for the Blades. We may be able to pull useful information from your arm about what Haggar is doing with quintessence."

"Allura said my quintessence has been altered—not just my arm. Will they be able to find out what was done to me?"

Ulaz paused, considering. A long finger tapped at his chin before he finally responded. "Perhaps." He sighed. "We have the old ways and access to that which has been lost, but Haggar, well, she is beyond our ken." Seeing Shiro's shoulders begin to slump, he amended, "But we will try."

"I'm going with him," Keith said, climbing to his feet.

Allura smiled. "I'm sure the thought of separating you two never crossed anyone's mind."


End file.
